"oh……"
The whole audience exclaimed in amazement, and sighs of astonishment and regret surged in the heat wave.
With Gawain's two-handed backhand straight return going out of the baseline, the point was brought to an end, and also the game was brought to an end. After a stalemate and collision between the two sides, Tsonga finally broke the serve and took the lead in the second set. The next game was to serve to win the set.
"5:6".
I didn't expect it. I didn't expect it at all.
Obviously, Gawain had already taken full control of the initiative and was not far from the finish line of victory, but an unexpected event overturned the balance and completely reversed the situation.
However, this is competitive sports.
Before the end of the game, everything is possible, including accidents, incidents, and injuries. They are all part of the game, a part that no one wants to see but always exists objectively. They may happen to any player at any moment in any game and will be recorded in history along with the game.
During the break between innings, medical staff came in.
Although Tsonga kept reminding himself to stay focused, stay focused, and not to be distracted at this moment, his peripheral vision still uncontrollably drifted towards Gawain.
He had no way of controlling it.
After all, he himself had just experienced an injury and was still recovering from it. He had a deep understanding of Gao Wen's condition.
Although Tsonga is very eager to win, as the defending champion, he hopes to continue to advance more than ever; but it should not be in such a way that he is eager to win while also eager to fight, eager for a fair and direct confrontation, rather than relying on victory by picking up a loophole due to injuries.
"Breathe in."
"Breathe out."
"Breathe..."
“Exhale…”
Medical staff are conducting basic examinations on Gao Wen, from breathing to turning to swinging the racket, using different movements to detect the pain in the abdominal muscles.
In fact, when there was no hitting, no stretching, and no strenuous exercise, Kirk did not feel any obvious pain, but more of a stretching sensation.
But when immersed in the fierce confrontation, the batting action is fully opened and extended, and the stretching feeling will gradually become obvious, and finally turn into severe pain.
After a simple examination and tests, the medical staff made a diagnosis.
"Minor strain."
"Whether the muscle fibers have been torn requires further investigation through X-rays, but it is currently impossible to determine whether it has reached the level of a first-degree strain."
Generally speaking, muscle strain injuries can be divided into three levels: level one is the lightest and level three is the heaviest.
Now, without X-rays, it is difficult for medical staff to make an accurate diagnosis on the spot.
Gao Wen was a little hesitant.
He knew that the wisest and calmest choice was to withdraw from the competition now, go for an X-ray and treatment, so as to avoid affecting subsequent competitions.
He should consider the overall situation. After all, the US Open is the highlight.
But is it really that simple?
In the competitive arena, giving up and surrendering are actually the simplest things. As long as you are willing, you can give up at any time, throw in the white flag at any time, and lay down at any time.
However, the true essence of competitive sports is fighting and challenge, fighting with opponents, fighting with oneself, and fighting against injuries, weather, setbacks, accidents and difficulties.
Things are never that simple.
In his previous life, he failed.
In the face of injuries, he fought, tried, struggled, and persisted. He suffered, endured, felt sad, and felt regretful, but in the end, he failed.
Faced with injury again, my first reaction was to retreat, give up, and surrender, but after realizing this, I couldn't help laughing.
It turns out that he also has inner demons.
I thought I didn’t have it, I thought I had broken through the shackles, I thought I had a brand new look, but I didn’t expect——
In fact, it has always been there.
but.
He doesn't want to surrender, nor does he want to give up.
To start over again is to run as fast as he can without any regrets. It’s the same story, but this time, he will write it with different colors.
"Gawain?"
The referee's voice came.
"Is everything okay?"
The break between games should have arrived, and the referee needs to confirm whether Gao Wen needs a medical timeout.
——Take a deep breath, and take another deep breath.
Gao Wen had regained his composure, gave the referee a look, and then asked the medical staff in front of him, "If I am ready to continue, is there anything I need to pay attention to?"
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The medical staff was very professional and said, “There is no problem in continuing the game.”
"We need to bandage it to stabilize the muscle and prevent the strain from getting worse."
"In addition, depending on your own pain tolerance, I can provide painkillers to relieve the situation. If it gets worse, be sure to stop the game immediately. I will be waiting on the sidelines."
Gao Wen nodded in affirmative response, "Okay, let's do it."
The medical staff turned to the referee and requested a medical timeout.
Then, the medical staff took Gao Wen to the medical room to bandage and fix his abdominal muscles.
There was some agitation at the scene.
In the players' box, Sampras and Agassi looked grim.
This was just a Masters Tournament. Gao Hongli and Jiang Yanyun did not travel with them. There was only Gao Wen's coaching team and Tobias.
The players' box seemed a little empty, but at this moment everyone had a serious look on their faces and was in a heavy mood.
As former professional players, they know very well what injuries mean, but they also know that injuries are an integral part of competitive sports. Behind all the glamorous glory and success, there is the pain of injuries day and night, which never ends from the first day.
Even now, old guys like Sampras and Agassi are still suffering from injuries after retirement. Compared with the well-known tennis elbow, the real bad thing is the knee.
Hard courts are extremely taxing on the knees, and no one is immune.
From a commercial promotion perspective, the more hard courts there are, the better, and tennis is becoming more and more popular around the world.
But from a long-term perspective, hard courts are very draining on players, and that is why professionals believe that grass and clay are irreplaceable.
If we pursue convenience and speed and sacrifice the long-term interests of the players, we will be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Returning to the North American hard court season, Kirk is glad to be back on the surface he is best at; but at the same time, he also has to worry about the consumption and wear and tear on his body.
The month-long vacation after Wimbledon includes such considerations.
But unexpectedly, he was still attacked by injuries.
In an instant, I felt upset.
Sampras glanced at Agassi. Unlike him, Agassi had been struggling with injuries in the second half of his career. In the last year, he was almost unable to play because of injuries. Choosing to retire after the 2006 US Open was a helpless choice.
To be precise, in the last game of Agassi's career, he almost retired due to injury, but he knew that was the final farewell, so he persisted to the end with the injury and ended his tennis career in this way.
Thousands of words came to his mind, but in the end they just turned into a long sigh, and Sampras patted Agassi on the shoulder.
Agassi didn't turn his head, but straightened his back again and found his voice, "The real battle begins now."